It Takes a Village - Ryan and Catherine's Wedding by Paula Gillespie

We're excited to get to share this sweet, sunshine filled village wedding with you all today. Catherine and Ryan got married at a thatched house in the Craft Village in Derry, followed by a dinner with friends and family in the local cafe and drinks at the local pub. It doesn't get more relaxed or home grown than that!

We're excited to get to share this sweet, sunshine filled village wedding with you all today. Catherine and Ryan got married at a thatched house in the Craft Village in Derry, followed by a dinner with friends and family in the local cafe and drinks at the local pub. It doesn't get more relaxed or home grown than that! Paula Gillespie was there to capture all the details and the sweet smiling faces of this happy couple!

Catherine and Ryan met when Catherine attended a local gig where Ryan was working, back in October 2011. Catherine stayed behind to have a drink with Ryan, and by December they'd moved in together!

There was no waiting around with these two. After a whirlwind romance, of course the engagement was a simple and straight forward decision...We knew we wanted to get married, it was just a question of when and how. Going away and doing it quietly was definitely something we thought about but we wanted to keep our mums and dads happy too. One morning in January we sat up in bed, booked everything and then went to tell our parents we were getting married in six months. We're betting that was a happy surprise for everyone!

From the start, Catherine and Ryan knew they wanted to keep their wedding simple...We wanted it to be as easy going and relaxed as possible, both the day and the planning. Too often we’d seen friends almost have a melt down before their wedding and end up fighting. We just decided to go with what we liked and not get too hung up on colour schemes and details.

For the venue, the couple chose the Craft Village, where they regularly shop, eat and attend gigs. Ryan has even played there a few times, so the couple knew it well and knew it would suit their relaxed wedding day... It has a great space outside for socialising and the chef in Café Del Mondo is amazing and a life long friend of Ryan’s. The Thatched Cottage was granted a license for weddings last year so it made sense to have it there. The fact that it was so intimate and quirky was a bonus.

Catherine knew exactly what she wanted to wear to say I do and that was a beautiful sunshine yellow 50's style dress! Seamstress Suzy Campbell worked her magic and made Catherine's cheery dress for the day!

Catherine and Ryan didn't have a bridal party, but asked their two best friends to make speeches and remember the thank you's. They didn't even choose their outfits, knowing they'd turn up in style anyway! Ryan's daughter, Rachel, spent the day with Catherine helping her get ready.

A few friends and family pitched in on the day. Catherine's grandmother made the buttonholes for the guests, which we think is such a sweet touch!

Catherine opted for a glittery gold clutch instead of a bouquet!

They had their reception in Cafe del Mondo, such a cool venue with a relaxed vibe for Catherine and Ryan's day.

Catherine and a few friends made some alcoholic tipples for wedding favours - Butter Ball Whiskey, Rhubarb and Custard Vodka and Fizzy Cola Rum, to name a few. We'd like the recipe for those, pretty please - they sound delish!

Catherine and Ryan have great advice for couples planning their big day... A great wedding doesn’t have to cost a fortune or put you on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Don’t worry about tradition. The only thing you absolutely have to do is the legal bit of the vows. The rest is entirely down to you so please yourselves. It’s the one day you can get away with it.

Special thanks to Ryan and Catherine for adding a little sunshine to our day today! A big Thank You goes to Paula Gillespie for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Paula's work pop over to www.paulagillespie.com